The present invention relates to systems enabling remote parent-child interaction, and more particularly, to a secure method for allowing parents to interact with their children anonymously using the internet and world wide web as a tool.
The growing popularity of the internet increases a parent""s desire to locate safe and fun websites for their children""s use. Parents naturally want to prevent their children from using websites that link to undesirable content (pornography, violence, etc.). Likewise, parents also wish to prevent their children from interacting with strangers in an online chat room or discussion group.
Previous attempts to limit children""s access to the internet have mostly involved software programs like Surfwatch or Net Nanny. These programs have allowed a child to freely browse the world wide web, but have blocked access to prohibited websites that are listed in prohibited site libraries that are updated periodically. This method works adequately for screening undesirable content, but does nothing to provide high quality, safe websites for children.
Websites that provide interesting interactive features like chat rooms or discussion groups have been notoriously insecure environments. Children who locate one of these websites may find themselves chatting with older children or adults who may take advantage of their vulnerability. Some of these chat rooms are moderated, e.g. America Online offers moderated chatrooms for children. However, many parents are still likely to feel uncomfortable allowing their young children to access such sites. While online conversations are interesting and educational, there is currently no safe way for parents to monitor and participate in these interactions.
In view of the above, there is a need for a safe xe2x80x9cdestinationxe2x80x9d for children that can provide a variety of high-quality entertainment and educational content while allowing the parent to anonymously be involved in customizing the internet experience for their child.
The needs above are in large measure met by the system for character-child interaction with adult character control of the present invention. The system generally allows a first user, the adult, to interact in the manner of a character facade with a second user, the child, via computer connections to a webserver. The webserver generally includes a processor with a memory/storage device that holds a character interaction program which supports a registration website and a character website. The processor operates with the program to receive a message from the child user, to notify the adult user of the received message via electronic mail, to receive a reply from the adult user, and to present the reply to the child user as though coming from a character rather than the adult user.
The system further allows the adult user to register and enter personal information about the child user which can then be utilized by the character in interacting with the child user. Additionally, the system implements various measures of security. For instance, both the adult and child user must enter some type of login, password, or other type of serial identification, which is checked against valid identifications, to obtain access to the registration and character websites. Further, upon initial log-in and/or registration the webserver writes a cookie file to the user""s hard drive. Upon a second entry to the websites, the webserver verifies, by checking the cookie file, that the user is entering the website from the same computer used for initial log-in and/or registration. If not, access is denied.
A method of the present invention provides for a computer facilitating the interaction of an adult user with a child user in the manner of a character facade by utilizing the following steps: (1) allowing the child user to input a message into the computer; (2) notifying the adult user of the input message; (3) allowing the adult user to input into the computer a reply to the message; and (4) the computer displaying the reply to the child user as though coming from a character.